The best weddings are the ones where you get to watch two friends — who you know are absolutely perfect for each other in every way — tie the knot for life. When we met Serena and Hunter more than a year ago we actually became fast friends and would chat with them from time to time about well, pretty much everything. As the wedding day grew closer they told us about the full day they had planned; complete with respective morning runs, trips to the salon and shave parlor, gifting of hand written cards for each other, we wanted to be there to capture all of it. And the more we talked to them leading up to August 8, the more apparent it was just how perfect for each other they were.

The two avid runners met in San Diego more than three years ago. While from very different backgrounds and places they quickly realized how much they had in common. They are both incredibly dedicated to their careers and tireless workers. They’re both world travelers. And they’re also two of the most organized people we’ve ever met. How organized? Well for one, when it came time to finding a venue they  “narrowed it down” to more than 30 sites, then established a massive spread sheet and point system so they could rank each numerically by score. They spent some two years fine tuning the intricate details of the day, right down to the seating arrangements — each table was assigned an airport code, and guests were sorted by the major airport closest to where they’re from (a tribute to Serena and Hunter each having backgrounds in air travel).

When it came down to it, the day could not have been any more of a storybook wedding. Hunter and Serena got married in the church that Serena once attended while in kindergarten. She and Hunter had their first look in the park that she once played at as a kid (and it was beautiful to say the least). Hunter and Serena celebrated their marriage beneath towering redwoods of Marin County surrounded by friends and family that love Hunter and Serena as much as we do.

We’ll be the first to admit it’s not easy throwing together a Same Day edit, but it’s certainly rewarding. There was so much behind every little detail of Hunter and Serena’s day and so much that happened building up to the ceremony. But when it came down to the “meat and potatoes” of the day, it was all about Hunter and Serena committing to stand by each other for one very big marathon. Capturing that was the fun part, made all the more rewarding by the fact that it was two of our friends up there on the alter.

Gift giving is never easy. Especially on your wedding day. John had a heads up from his mom that Molly was getting him something special, REALLY special as a wedding gift on June 27. In fact when John asked his mother for a hint on just how special it would be, Mrs. Chace was pretty blunt.

“Molly reached into your soul,” she warned.

A little back story: John had to sell his drum set when he and Molly moved in together at their Huntington Beach apartment. John plays both guitar and drums, but it was the latter that he loved more than just about anything. They were a huge part of his life and passion. The replacement electronic drum set that he got just didn’t quite cut it. When he had to let go of his set, it was a sacrifice that did not go unnoticed by his fiancée. (No spoilers here but hint, hint).

After receiving the tip of an impending gift of a lifetime, John did some soul searching of his own in an attempt to come up with something of equal significance. He didn’t need to look much further than his fast approaching wedding day for the idea of something special. He had the brilliantly romantic idea of a gift that would help Molly remember all the details and mementos that made it special. It made for a couple of pretty emotional moments on June 27, when the two opened up their gifts. We’ll let you watch for your self.

We’re not surprised that John and Molly knocked the whole soul-searching, gift-giving escapade out of the park. From our first Skype meeting with them it was obvious how much they cared about and understood each other — right down to the each other’s soul. (One might we call them soul mates? We digress.)

Congratulations to our good friends Mr. and Mrs. John Chace, we had a blast being a part of it. As one bridesmaid so astutely noted that day, Molly and John’s incredible day will live on in Internet Land with one of the coolest wedding hashtags we’ve ever seen (and we see a LOT of cool hashtags, we promise).

We’ll leave you with that, for indeed #theChaceIsOver for Molly and John.

There’s a sort of irony to visiting Big Sur — it’s a place that makes you feel so small. Soaring coastal redwoods dot the granite cliffs that sit high above the Pacific Ocean. Streams carve canyons out of coastal ranges and disappear into the sea. The Pacific Coast Highway ribbons through the rugged coastline, clinging to the rocks above pounding surf. It’s a place really unlike any other.

For Jesse and Erin the raw, rugged beauty served as the perfect setting for an emotional and unforgettable day.

“So much of me kind of just wanted to do a private ceremony somewhere, just us and have a party later,” Erin admitted before the ceremony.  “But Jesse just really wanted to get up in front of everybody, which I kind of love — that he wanted to proclaim it, display it.”

The two met more than a decade ago at a boarding school in Georgia far from home — Jesse was from Oklahoma and Erin from Montana. They quickly found how much they had in common: They both had lost a parent when they were teens. They both had trying pasts. They shared a mutual interest in each other but became close friends, and remained that way when they left school and moved on their respective journeys.

A few years later Erin had just moved to Oklahoma for grad school when she reached out to Jesse for advice on what do in the Sooner State (Jesse was living in San Diego at the time).  It didn’t take long for their friendship to turn into a budding relationship during their phone calls. He began making more frequent trips home to visit family and Erin. They started dating long distance and eventually Erin decided to move out to Southern California to join Jesse.  That was five years ago. Jesse didn’t want to quietly marry Erin somewhere. It had to be big; They decided on Big Sur because it was so grandly and spectacularly unique — the ocean, the trees, the amazing golf courses near by and the adventure of it all to celebrate their love.

Every aspect of the weekend was beautiful; the cliffside wedding ceremony overlooking the Big Sur coastline, the massive, rustic hand-made, feather dream catcher hanging above the dance floor, giant tepee lounges perched around a bonfire and all this beneath reaching redwood trees on a gorgeous afternoon. Paradise? We think so.

Yet all of this took a back seat to the real reason we were there. It was pretty apparent from the beginning that Erin and Jesse were meant to find each other, meant to hold each other up in the toughest of times, meant to marry in a place where ruggedness transcends into beauty.

Erin knew she would cry, she admitted before the ceremony. She had a feeling Jesse would too. We won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s clear Erin knows the man she was meant for pretty well.

“He’s so stoic and so macho in so many ways,” Erin said, laughing. “There are like are few precious times that he breaks down and lets it show.  And i just love it when he’s like that, it’s so special.”

A picture of Erin’s mom and Jesse’s dad was adorned into a small frame tied around the bouquet Erin carried down the aisle — an emotional reminder of their parents who may be gone, but are certainly never forgotten. After the ceremony, as mists swirled up over the cliffs from the ocean below, the two shared a special moment knowing that there parents were with them all along.

It was just one emotional moment in a day that was, for lack of a better word, perfect.

Thank you to all the incredible people who made the entire weekend exactly that. We were in spectacular company with renowned photographer Jose Villa, Alexandra and her fantastic crew from Sterling Engagements, the always amazing event designer of all things extravagent Shawna Yamamoto,  and all the wonderful people we worked with who helped transform a beautiful wedding into an unforgettable one.

Those who follow our work know that it runs the gamut from mom and pop stores to multinational companies. We love that about our studio and will be the first to tell you that having that latitude in our work is pretty cool.

But even cooler is when our work gets out there where lots of people can see it. A few months ago, VIZIO (now America’s #1 smart TV Company and #1 Sound Bar Brand) hired us to film footage for their homepage.  It’s been an honor to work with such an innovative company in the past and we always get excited for the big shoots they bring us on for (and not just because of the catering, which we promise did not disappoint). This was no exception and we couldn’t be more pleased with the footage we got — we think it captures perfectly the “Beautifully Simple” design that Vizio executes so well.

We were lucky enough to work alongside a fantastic photographer in Chris Ozer (we highly suggest you check out some of his work, it’s pretty incredible), beautiful models and a great crew over the span of a couple days in various houses in the the Los Angeles area for the shoots. Thanks to all that lent a hand during a busy couple of days.

Check out the footage for yourself in its natural habitat: www.vizio.com.

The rolling hills, gentle breezes and sloping lines of vineyards that envelop Temecula create a beautiful backdrop for a wedding, but all of that grandeur took a backseat to the intricacies that made Danielle and Sammer’s wedding on June 13 so special.

They’re a couple who is all about the details: the flowers, little cards and notes, homemade desserts, customized rose gold and Damascus steel (lined with rose gold) rings, ceremonial sand from their respective cultures  — every little aspect of the wedding was layered in symbolism unique to the couple. That’s one of the reasons we couldn’t wait to sift through all the footage from their day; there were so many stories and laughs shared that the hardest part was just picking which ones to show.

Danielle and Sammer truly are perfect for each other, right down to the last detail on their rose gold wedding rings. We know our friends have a wonderful life ahead of them after a day that they (and we) will certainly never forget. We hope you enjoy this glimpse of June 13; we’re hard at work on the full feature and we can’t wait to share it with you soon.